Downsizing

     Yep, I'm scaling back and moving forward at the same time. Today I purchased a smaller table for my new smaller car (Yes, I traded in the 2017 Ford Escape for a 2017 Ford Focus Hatchback ). I've also been painting smaller rocks that collectors can carry with them and show to friends. 

    Besides, it has become clear to me that most of my clientele are usually tourists who like to get a little gift item to bring back for the kids. They pack easily and won't get stopped at the gate when taking them on the airplane. The other group would be women who would like to add one for their meditation altar or to have a bedside bookmark stone to save a page while reading the latest novel. 

    Then the other group would be girls ( and boys ) between the ages of seven and thirteen. They like to buy my keychains to put on their backpacks or have a pendant to show off to their friends with the little black light that dazzles the color in the dark. Lastly, there are the individual collectors who admire my work and gravitate towards something uniquely one-of-a-kind. I'm beyond grateful to be able to have these gift rocks for anyone who enjoys rocks and their possibilities.

Below is this week's "Rock of the Week" it has some invisible qualities once it is place under the UV light

Ideas waiting to happen

 We have all heard about how intimidating a blank canvas can be. Sometimes, I feel that it is important to work backward, just to reflect and to see where we've been when it comes to value placement. What has been discovered in terms of methods and materials that have been incorporated in an artist's work? What results have been effective and have been carried to the next level? Is an artist ever satisfied? The jury is still out. 

    Form, content, structure, medium, spatial relationships, complementary colors, vibrancy, etc., etc. all play a role in the successful output of a piece. Monetary compensation should be the least of concerns but always is. One has to make a living, or basically, an agreed-upon value of the work produced. Time, materials, inspiration, perspiration all count and should.

    You set the standard for this assessment.No one can place a value on a piece higher than the one who creates it... even if a client's price offering may be much higher in a monetary sense. This agreed-upon evaluation is usually proposed (if not by the artist themselves, at least by their agent) to ascertain its worth on the open market.

     It has been said that some notable art teachers have had students fishing their sketches from a wastebasket and were able to sell these items on the dark web for a considerable price. All this unbeknownst to the artist that had ever intended for such a transgression to occur. 

    Truly, art appreciation and speculation, in the final analysis, are quite subjective. Even if society has placed a high premium on a contemporary piece, that work will ultimately be time-tested in the grand scheme of things.

    Will Banksy or the Beatles remain historical figures in say... three hundred years? Considering their relative importance in a specific area should render their contributions to future societal imperatives. 

    What does all of this have to do with one's idea waiting to happen? Well, there is nothing more powerful it has been said, than an idea whose time has come. The same is true not only in the art world but in the world as a whole.

Below is a stress-out rock